Why Take Nature Photographs

We all have reasons for photographing nature. Perhaps you are more interested in winning a photo contest at the State fair or camera club. Perhaps you want to get published in a calendar, magazine, or book. Perhaps you want a beautiful web site or gorgeous prints on the wall. Perhaps you love digital cameras and computers so you make images to use those tools. Perhaps you love being in natural places and making photos gives you an excuse to spend time enjoying natural events. You may photograph for fun or hope to make some money from your images. All of these are valid reasons to photograph nature. Most likely

LEFT: Lesser scaup are diving ducks that spend time "dating" on our small farm pond every May and June. Since the pond is often ripple free at dawn, we can capture images with a pleasing mirror reflection.

FOLLOWING PAGES: A clear and calm January afternoon was the perfect time to photograph Midway Geyser Basin with three separate images that were stitched together manually.

your reasons for taking photographs of nature include a combination of these.

Although we usually tend to think of the digital camera as the best thing since sliced bread, there are both pros and cons with its use. Nothing is available on the market that does not have both a good and a bad side, but the key is to weigh the good against the bad in order to come up with the best of both worlds.